Jenna's story
by surely-0
Summary: This is the beginning of a story about a young girl trapped in her memories she wishes she could forget. They haunt her in more ways than one
1. Chapter 1

She woke up that Friday morning laying on her back staring at the ceiling. Wishing she could just got back to sleep and hibernate for a while. She had three short minutes to get to school, so she brushed her teeth, changed her shirt and, without waking her mom, managed to get out of the house to drive to school. She rummaged through her neon green L.L. Bean backpack looking for a brush, a useless quest. Jenna parked her car in her assigned parking spot and attempted to fix her hair. She could see her arms as she adjusted her hair in the rear view mirror, meaning she had mistakenly put on a t-shirt. She grabbed the black sweatshirt she kept in the back seat for days like these. Jenna felt cold as she got out of her car. She felt cold a lot, but cold was her favorite feeling. The numbness of ice gave her comfort.

Jenna was a shy, studious sixteen year old. She grew up in the town of Bath, New Hampshire and had never lived anywhere else. She didn't complain. New Hampshire's winters were her magnet, preventing any longing towards a different home. To all of her friends she was different, and a helpful person when she needed to be. To everyone else she was quiet and extremely smart, book smart, and basically happy. Apparently those that make straight A's have the image of being content.

Jenna walked through the foggy front doors of her 100 year old brick high school. It was so old that the floors even creaked when the students walked down the hall. She saw that class had already begun so she ventured to the front office to sign in.

"Late again, Ms. Michaels?" asked The Woman behind the desk, raising her drawn-on eyebrows.

"Sorry." Replied Jenna as her long, wavy brown hair fell in front of her face. She hated disappointing people.

"Almost every day this week Jenna." The Woman tried to keep eye contact with the quiet girl, but lost it as Jenna looked down at her black canvas sneakers. Jenna just shrugged and took the pass from The Woman. The less verbal communication, the less guilt she felt.

While Jenna was making her way upstairs to her first period, her friend Zach waved to her on his way to the office. You know Zach, the lovable guy friend who stays by your side even though you turned him down in the seventh grade and he's still hopelessly in love with you. Yeah, that's Zach.

Zach had that messy hair that made him look like he just woke up. It was black and wavy and everywhere. His eyes were so welcoming he could get anyone to be his friend, so he did. During the winter he was one of the few that actually wore a parka. A red, white, and black one to be exact. Jenna just loved the way he looked in it. He was so skinny and the parka made it seem like he was lost somewhere inside. He was a good friend to Jenna and she appreciated him by her side. Most days…

He knew she was running late again so he nodded and smiled as Jenna continued her carefree trudge down the hallway to English class.

Jenna's "friend" Samantha sat in front of her in that class. She would always make sure Jenna got the papers and notes she needed. Jenna was grateful.

"Hey, late night or what?" Samantha whispered as Jenna took her seat.

"Um, yeah, late night." Jenna wasn't exactly the most trusting person when it came to her life outside school. Samantha wasn't _that_ close.

Jenna's day followed as usual. History, French, gym, lunch, study hall, algebra, and biology.

French was Jenna's best class. She always did her homework for it and scored the highest on her tests. She would laugh when others in her class pronounced things wrong. To her it was so simple but to those, such as Devin Thomas, it was the most difficult.

When class was over Jenna stuck around to ask the teacher for some extra credit. Devin too stayed behind for the same reason.

After they received their papers they turned to leave. Jenna dropped all four of her notebooks and her textbook on the ground in front of Devin. He looked down, shook his head, and stepped over the mess and continued out the door.

Being ignored was something Jenna had become accustomed to. He was hot so it was ok.

Samantha shared biology with Jenna as well. They had a substitute so it was basically a free day for them.

"So Allen asked me to the dance. I can't believe it. He even told me he was gonna ask Kerri. Do you think I'm his second choice or do you think he was joking? Jenna? Jenna! Are you listening?"

"Oh I'm sorry Sam, I'm a little out of it today. So Allen? That's cool right?

"But do you think I am his second choice or does he really like me?"

Jenna was terrible at relationship issues. She could never tell what was what. "Well, he asked you right? That has to mean something."

"But what if it doesn't? What if this is a big joke? Jenna! What do I do? Should I call him?"

"Umm yes?"

"Jenna, you really aren't helping here. I'll have to call Autumn before the dance. This is serious!" Samantha got up as the dismissal bell rang. Jenna thanked the god above.

Jenna walked up to her purple Dodge Neon and saw Zach waiting for her to drive him home.

"Hey, can I just hang out with you tonight?" Jenna grinned inside as she watched the steam of Zach's breath as he asked his routine question. It meant the air was cold, which, of course, Jenna loved.

"Not if you're gonna try to get me to that dance tonight!"

"Come on Jenna, dances aren't that bad." Grinned Zach.

Jenna hopped into the driver's seat still shaking her head no.

"Why won't you go? What harm will it do? It won't kill you to have, dare I say it, FUN!" Zach inquired, forcing his friend to look at him. She held the stare for a full minute wanting to explain her reasons. She looked for some glimpse of safety in Zach's eyes. Something inside that was safe enough for her heart to feel comfortable enough to express her thoughts. Nothing.

"Fine, if it's that important to you, I'll go." Jenna rolled her eyes trying to draw attention away from her apprehension. She started the car with shaky hands. The blast of Jenna's favorite CD startled Zach and everyone else walking to their surrounding cars. Zach amused her the entire car ride home with his kindergarten excitement and chanting of "Jenna's going to the dance" in several different octaves.


	2. Chapter 2

Devin Thomas stood in the entryway of the cafeteria looking at all the students mingling and enjoying their Friday Night Dance. Devin had also been forced to attend the event by his friend, Alissa. He would have been happy to stay home watching TV or something, but there he was, standing next to his best friend.

Alissa was tall and slim, though she thought she was too tall and not slim enough. She had this hue of gold mixed with brown for hair that she was always threatening to dye, but never did. Her eyes were a deep brown that looked like melted chocolate. She was beautiful. Of course there were points in time when Devin had crushes on this goddess and at other points in time Alissa returned the interest, but as soon as Alissa met her man, Scott, they stepped back and realized they loved each other as friends.

"Come on, go dance! Tiffany is here, dance with her!" begged Alissa.

"You asked me to come with you; I didn't say I would dance."

"Devin, you can dance with any girl you want, and you're just gonna stand here?"

Devin nodded and, after a long sigh and a dramatic eye-roll, Alissa walked away to go find her boyfriend. Devin waved to a few of his friends until he found a seat at a near-by table. He never found it all that interesting to dance with girls he didn't severely care about. He would much rather watch as everyone else had a good time.

He laughed as he saw Ryan, everyone's favorite gay guy, trying to dance with an extremely uninterested guy. When that commotion died down, Devin resumed his watch for a friendly face to talk to. A quiet girl standing against the wall with her head down caught his eye. She looked alone and Devin wanted to know why. He stood up and began his journey towards her.

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Jenna stood up against the wall watching Zach and their gay friend Ryan make idiots of themselves. Ryan was trying to amaze us with his 80's dance moves while Zach tried to run away from him. Once they settled down Jenna once again stared at her feet while her hair fell in front of her face.

Some dance.

"Hey, I'm Devin." Jenna slowly raised her head to find the keeper of that gentle voice. She found Devin Thomas, just the hottest guy in school, no problem. Jenna looked into those icy blue eyes all the girls worshipped and glanced at his perfectly messed dirty blonde hair that fell just right.

"hi" Jenna mumbled to Mr. Perfection.

"French class right?"

"yeah"

"Thought so. Um, so do you have a date to dance with? You're looking a little lonely." Devin asked.

Jenna chuckled at the idea. "No I don't have a date."

"Great, so you won't mind dancing with me then!" Devin put out his Malibu tanned hand wanting Jenna's in return. Jenna remained silent and resumed her focus on her shoes and the knot in her stomach. Didn't he just ignore her earlier that day?

She finally gave in and allowed Devin to lead her to the dance floor. Devin's hand strongly grabbing here's sent sickly butterflies to Jenna's stomach. Devin could tell Jenna wasn't used to the slow dancing concept, so he put her hands on his shoulders. Jenna's hair hid her face, so Devin moved it behind her ear. She flinched as his hand touched her cheek.

"Oh, sorry. My hand cold?"

Jenna felt tears arise so she quickly shook her head no in reply. "No." a simmering whisper.

"Are you okay?"

'Do not cry, not here, not now.' She thought.

"Are you crying? What's wrong?"

"I, I'm sorry." She grinned to make it seem like she was fine. Of course anyone could see right through it, but she needed to try something. Devin stared back into her eyes, but said nothing. She slowly fell away from Devin's hands, and walked back to her table, his eyes still upon her, and grabbed her black sweatshirt. Zach watched her walk out and assumed that something went wrong. He walked up to Devin who stood in confusion.

"What happened?" Zach asked with protection.

"Nothing, we were just dancing. She just walked off." Devin stood still confused. Zach leaned forward to say something, but his worry of Jenna compelled him to leave and find her.

Jenna sat in the front seat of her car staring off into space with tears lining her crystal eyes. Zach got in and Jenna drove him to his house in silence.

"What happened?"

"…"

"Did he say something to you?"

"…"

"Say something Jenna, please."

"…"

"You better not do what I think you're gonna do!"

"…"

"I'm coming over tomorrow, we'll talk then! Don't do it Jenna. I'm begging you" Zach stared at his friend a bit longer in case she had something to say.

She didn't.

Zach got out of the car and Jenna drove off immediately.

Jenna sat on her bed staring at her dresser, once again trying to battle her thoughts in the war that she constantly fought. Devin was being nice. Nice people shouldn't make others uncomfortable. Was there something wrong with her?

'Don't do it Jenna!' Zach had said. Would she listen this time? Why would it matter to him anyway?

Nothing seemed to matter anymore. Going through the motions of life without really living was a waste of a person. Watching other people care so much made her sick. She felt no desire to have people worry about her. It made everything so much harder.

She finally walked over to her dresser. She picked out her weapon of choice and walked to her closet. Her sanctuary. Her hiding place. She remained in there and eventually fell asleep. Only to be awoken by Zach yelling at her.

He had seen her arm and the brown, rusty stain on her t-shirt. He knew what she had done. Jenna tried to maneuver around him standing in her way. He finally backed off and left her room. Jenna looked at her clock. It was 11:00 am. Her stomach begged for food, but Jenna took a shower instead. She stood in the shower looking at her arm. Her gaze was glued to the pain. She ran her shaking cold hands over the lines. They felt cold like metal. She wanted to cry, but it was almost as if her tears accompanied the red life circling the drain of the tub, leaving her entirely. She washed her hair and felt clean enough so she turned the faucet off and wrapped herself in the warm Mickey Mouse towel she had gotten as a gift from her grandmother from Florida.

After she got dressed she walked downstairs to the living room to find Zach on her couch working on his History homework while watching TV. Her heart was glad yet worried at seeing him still at her house.

"Hey." Jenna cautiously took the seat next to him.

"Hi." Zach continued filling out his worksheet on Western Europe.

"Want breakfast? Or lunch I guess…" asked Jenna

"Sure." Zach replied, still focused on his paper.

"Want some cold pizza? I think it's all we have." Zach nodded and decided to follow Jenna into the kitchen. Jenna opened the fridge and took out the cold cardboard box containing their lunch. Zach stood staring at the brown stain on the linoleum.

"When did my mom leave?" asked Jenna, squirting the last bit of ranch dressing onto her plate next to her pizza. Jenna's mom usually worked all day long, but she always came home with just enough energy to complain and argue before going to bed. Jenna suspected that her mom had been fired from her job at Harry's restaurant and just left to get whatever money she could from whatever she had to do. Jenna just couldn't seem to care enough to ask about it.

"She was gone when I got here at around quarter to eleven." Zach answered to his shoes. The two kids went back into the living room to watch TV while they ate.

They sat in silence for a while until there was a commercial break from the oh so intriguing television program.

"So" Zach swallowed a bit of pizza before continuing. "What happened?" he asked almost in a whisper.

"What do you mean?" Jenna dared not make eye contact with her friend for fear of deadly laser beams of disappointment to shoot out and end her life right then and there in one of the ugliest shirts she owned.

"Why did you do it?" or that.

"I don't know." Yes she did.

"You just did it again? For no reason at all?" Zach's tone was getting more and more concerned and angry with every breath. Jenna just shrugged her shoulders praying that the conversation would end. Zach continued his lecture on how screwed up Jenna's life was and how horrible her actions were. It was everything she had been telling herself everyday for two years.


	3. Chapter 3

Devin finished his sandwich and picked up the phone. He decided to call Alissa and ask about the girl he had _almost_ danced with the night before.

"Hello?"

"Hey Alissa, it's Devin."

"I know."

"Oh, um, did you happen to see the girl I danced with last night?"

"You mean the girl you scared away?"

Devin chuckled nervously, "Yeah that one."

"Her name is Jenna Michaels. Why?" Devin already knew that Alissa could very well tell him the name of the "Cinderella" he had danced with. Alissa had always taken it upon herself to read the yearbook like the bible. She knew everyone by name, who they were, what they did, who they did, and any other information that was convenient for her to pick up in conversation.

"Who is she?"

"Oh, all I know is that she's a quiet, straight A girl. Scott had a bio project with her and said she was really nice. Why?" Devin sat at the kitchen table thinking.

"Just wondering. Thanks Alissa, bye."

"No prob."

Devin went upstairs to his room and pulled out his yearbook from 2 years ago.

What happened:

Devin had moved to Bath at the beginning of high school. Then after meeting Alissa and falling in love, his parents went through a crazy divorce forcing Devin and his mom to move to Florida for a year. His mom, later on, got into contact with a college professor who, guess what, lived in Bath. Romantic phone conversations were had and before he knew it Devin was back in Bath for his junior year, with a stepdad and brother.

He searched and finally found Jenna Michaels. He looked through the club pictures and found her in art club and in drama club. To Devin, drama would be the last thing such a shy girl would be into, but, at least back then, she was. She was even one of the top actors, performing in that year's fall musical. Devin was surprised he didn't recognize her. In all the pictures he saw of Jenna, she was smiling as happy as she could be. "This isn't the girl I saw last night." Devin thought. He figured something must have happened to her that night to make her that upset.

If only he knew.

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Zach and Jenna finally started acting themselves as they brought out a deck of cards. They childishly played Go Fish and progressed to a violent slapjack. They filled their conversation with comments about the weather, Ryan and Zach's performance at the dance, and lines from their favorite movies. The conversation seemed to be all fun until _**he**_ corrupted the conversation.

"Ethan would have loved Ryan's dance moves." Zach chuckled while placing a 4 of hearts on the stack of cards. Jenna grinned in her classic, fake manner.

"Want to watch a movie?" Jenna had changing the subject down to a science so for her to make it so obvious was so very out of character.

"Sure." Zach started picking up the cards from the floor. He noticed her quick shift of conversation, but assumed it was nothing, so he ignored it. Jenna opened the wooden cabinet under the TV to look for a good video. They agreed on an old black-and-white horror for a piece of classic history. They laughed at the cheesy expressions, but Jenna cried inside. If only Zach knew he might not have said anything. She didn't want to hurt any relationship Zach had with Ethan so she kept what she knew to herself. Fortunately for Jenna her skill of hiding true emotion was more experienced than her subject changing ability. She could play it off and no one could tell.

Sunday morning and Jenna woke up concluding she was going to do some housework to keep her mind off the subject Zach unknowingly brought upon her. No matter how hard she tried she just couldn't shake it off. Ethan's face kept singeing a hole into her brain. She wondered if he ever thought of her as much as she thought of him. Even then, she was sure it wouldn't exactly be painful for him to think about her.

Jerk.

It was two years ago, but for Jenna it felt like yesterday. She had been dating Ethan Stoker for six months and everything was perfect. He was the sweetest guy. Ethan was eighteen and Jenna was fifteen. The age difference didn't faze them. They were in "love."

Jenna and Ethan would go to the movies every weekend and sometimes sneak out for lunch during school. Ethan occasionally came over after school to hang out at Jenna's house while her mom was still working. Being eighteen Ethan wasn't in it for the cute boyfriend girlfriend relationship. Jenna was cute, funny, cute, smart, alone, cute, naïve, young, and cute. Like many teenage boys, Ethan was in it for "fun". Jenna noticed how Ethan would try to keep going when they made out, but she would always make some excuse to stop kissing him to get him to hold off. His hand under her shirt or hugged around her hips felt great, but she knew how fast things happened. She figured he would wait until she was ready, because he loved her.

Jenna couldn't let her memories travel any farther, so she decided to just watch a movie, her getaway. Some comedy caught her eye. She couldn't pass up a good laugh. It was 12:00 pm when she drifted off to sleep on the couch. It was 7:00 pm when she woke up. Just in time for dinner.

Jenna's Family Dinner, complete with a screaming mom and take-out. Predictable.

Jenna took her plate of Chinese food to her room and left it on her end table. She wasn't hungry, but knew she would get a good lecture about not eating the food that her mom had worked so hard to provide. Jenna said she would just eat it upstairs since she had some homework to do.

She crawled into her bed and fell half way to sleep under her soft black comforter. Her breathing became heavy, as it was hard to reach for air under the blanket. Her mind kept trying to focus on Ethan. Jenna pressed her eyes shut and tried to readjust her thoughts, but Ethan's grim face reappeared not long after. She could feel his hands on her body. She tried to speak, but he covered her mouth. She tried to fight back and push him from her. She became weak. Jenna woke from her thoughts with tears streaming down her face. It was Monday and she had ten minutes before class. Jenna didn't want to, but she got up out of bed and got dressed, remembering to put on a long sleeve shirt.

Devin sat on the wooden bench next to the school's front entrance, pretending to be working on his homework. He was really waiting for Jenna to come through the doors. Just as he was about to lose hope and walk to his class, Jenna walked in. Jenna's eyes were focused on her feet so she didn't notice him when she walked in.

"Jenna!" Devin hurried up along side of her. Jenna turned thinking it was a friend and was startled. "Oh, Hi." Jenna seemed totally lost at the fact that he would be talking to her again.

"My friends and I are going to the House of Pizza tonight. I wanted to know if you would like to come."

Jenna stood trying to conjure up a good enough excuse to get out of going. Nothing good came to mind so, "My friend Zach is supposed to come over tonight."

"Bring him along! The more the merrier…I think that's how it goes."  
Jenna chuckled and shrugged.

"Meet me here after school. I'll see you in class." Devin moved on to his class while Jenna stood in shock as the rest of the high school body moved past her running to their classes. 'Why on earth would he invite me to eat with him?' she thought. A nerd running late bumped into Jenna's arm shaking her from her confusion. She decided it would just be best to move along to class and try to figure this whole Devin thing out later.

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Jenna and Zach argued over a radio station on their way to the restaurant.

"He's the one who tried to dance with you right?" asked Zach.

"Yeah, what do you know about him? All I know about him is that he's our school Prince Charming." Jenna said full of attitude.

"He moved here like 2 years ago, then left, then came back. His mom married some guy over here. I haven't heard any bad things about him."

"Oh yeah? I didn't realize he was here back then. Hmm." Jenna sighed as she parked her car in front of the only real restaurant in town. It was a cute little brick building that served pizza, subs, and more Greek stuff. Jenna loved their French Fries. The owner, Kostos, used to be friends with her dad before he moved to England. It felt like a real homey place to sit and eat with friends. She was happy Devin and his friends had chosen the place.

Jenna and Zach got out of the car and made their way inside. Kostos hollered her name as she entered.

"Jenna! How is my little girl?" Kostos had flour all over his hands as he raced to greet her. "I miss you so much. How come you don't come in here anymore?"

Jenna could tell Devin and his friends were staring. "I've been busy Kostos. I'm sorry. I'm here with some of my friends." She pointed in their direction and they waved.

"I see. Well I think I might have a free pizza for you tonight Ms. Michaels. Give me 10 minutes." He turned back around to go to the kitchen, but not before he left a white flour mark on her nose, for old time's sake.

Jenna grabbed Zach's arm as they walked toward the table most recently conquered by Devin and his friends. Her grasp became tighter making Zach fully aware of the apprehension within her. He smiled at her and they slid into the booth next to Devin.

"Hey Jenna, I'm Alissa, this is my boyfriend Scott." Alissa reached her hand across the table and Jenna shook it. Scott nodded his head and said, "Dude, thanks for that free pizza! You rock!"

"You're welcome. This is my friend Zach." Jenna focused on Zach rather than Devin's friends.

"Nice to meet you Zach." Said Alissa.

The night went on and Devin's eyes seemed glued to Jenna. She could feel his eyes burning a hole in her face and finally turned to face him. His face turned red as he grinned embarrassedly. Alissa kept telling them amusing stories and crazy gossip they hadn't yet heard. Scott would jump in to retell the stories and gossip in a better, more interesting way. Zach laughed so hard he almost choked on his cheese pizza. Scott asked Jenna questions about school, but it was obvious no one really wanted to talk about anything school related.

Can't blame him for trying.

As the group's conversation continued, Jenna felt the temperature rise inside her sweatshirt. She politely asked Zach to move so she could go to the restroom.

Jenna waited until the two younger girls left the room before she removed her sweatshirt. She could finally breathe. She stood staring in the mirror. "What does he see when he looks at me?" Devin had shown major interest in her all night and Jenna just didn't know why. Her hair was simply put back in a messy ponytail. Her red nail polish was half chipped off. She had paint dried to her jeans, and her face was plain. She pulled up her sleeves to rinse off her hands. Looking at her arms she whispered, "He definitely doesn't see this."

Jenna dried her hands and put her sweatshirt back on. She opened the bathroom door to surprisingly find Devin standing in front of her ready to knock.

"We're going to head out." Devin said.

"Ok." Jenna walked back out into the sitting area and saw Zach and Scott joking around with Alissa. She was about to approach them when a "Psst." caught her attention.

Kostos stood behind her motioning for her to come closer. "Yes?" Kostos pulled her into a hug and gently whispered into her ear. "This boy, this boy here with you, he is good."

"Zach?"

"No, no the new one. He is good for you."

"Devin? What do you mean?"

"He looks at you with his heart. Keep him around aye? He's a nice boy."

Jenna fell into a warm embrace to say the words her mouth wouldn't. Kostos was the closest father figure she had since her dad had moved. Kostos tousled her hair before letting her walk outside with her friends.

Devin was waiting outside the door for her.

"Thanks for inviting us Devin." Jenna grinned.

"Yeah, we should do this again, soon." There was a pause of awkward silence. The pause that seems to be oddly common among teenagers. "Hey Jenna, can I sit with you during lunch tomorrow? I noticed you sit alone."

"Oh I guess so." The last person to sit with Jenna at lunch was Ethan and Jenna could feel the memory start to form. Fortunately Zach and Scott then came running out of the building laughing with Alissa following them. Alissa hollered at Scott to give her jacket and purse back while she walked up to Devin.

"It was nice meeting you Jenna." Alissa hinted that she wanted to leave by pulling Devin's arm and dragging him to his car. Devin waved Jenna goodbye and Zach ran up to him and shook his hand. Zach and Jenna took off while Alissa and Scott were still joking around


	4. Chapter 4

"He's cool." Zach said while tapping his fingers on his knees to the song on the radio.

"Who?" Jenna chuckled at Zach's enthusiasm.

"Devin!"

"Oh yeah he's nice I guess." Kostos words replayed in her head.

"He really likes you Jenna." Zach tried to regain his serious face.

"Zach, come on!" Jenna blushed.

"Did you see the way he looked at you?" Jenna kept quiet. "_I _did. He likes you. Trust me, I should know." The rest of the car ride home was quiet though Jenna's thoughts were buzzing.

Did he like her?

Did he look at her the way Kostos said, with his heart?

What would it mean if the answer to those questions were yes?

Did she like him?

Did she want all of this to happen?

And happen so quickly?

Nothing was certain.

Everything was too busy being confusing.

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Devin drove Alissa to her mansion-sized house to drop her off. As Alissa left, the Jenna review began.

"She's quiet, and kinda plain. She's okay though." Scott reported.

"She's cute, and wicked sweet. I want to invite her over to my house. Oh, wait. Is that too creepy?"

Scott nodded.

"Invite her to the park or something, girls like that."

Devin nodded.

Jenna ran as fast as she could, but he ran faster. She tried to scream, but nothing came out. He pulled her to the ground. Her head collided with concrete. His hands began removing her shirt.

Jenna woke up crying. Her dreams of that kind haunted her lately. She woke up early, afraid to go back to sleep, and allow her memories to attack. With every thought and memory Jenna's anger grew. She was so angry that Ethan still affected her. She started crying once more. Her hands were shaking and she felt a lack of control. She quickly ran to her dresser drawer and stared at her selection. A pair of scissors, a pocketknife, and a razor, but which one?

She didn't want to think about it.

She didn't want to think about anything.

She just grabbed the razor. She held it to her arm and sliced a line, gentle and simple. She went over the same line over and over forcing the razor deeper into her flesh. She watched as a bead of blood rose and became heavy. The amount seemed to increase the more she stared at it. She took a few tissues from the box on her dresser and held them to her arm and pressed tightly. The more she held it, the slower the blood flow. She placed a couple bandages on her arm to hide the damage. A tear rose from regret but she choked it down.

No time for that.

It happened at a Friday Night Dance. Ethan decided that he was sick of waiting for Jenna. She had told him that she was saving herself until marriage, but to Ethan six months was enough waiting.

They sat sitting in his car. Jenna went to open the car door, but Ethan locked it.

"You love me right Jenna?" Ethan asked.

"Of course." She kissed him, oblivious to what was coming.

"And six months is a long time." Ethan hinted heavily with strong eyebrow gestures and Jenna got the message.

"Ethan, you know I'm waiting!"

"Jenna! Come on!"

"No Ethan!"

It was gone. Jenna lost. Ethan left the car and a frazzled fifteen year old with a hole in her heart. She sat in the back seat where he had shoved her. She felt cold like death. He had ripped her dress and her heart. Ethan was supposed to be the man that would love Jenna forever. The man that would care about her until the end of time. But all he turned out to be was the man that raped her. That night Jenna lost everything. Her self-esteem, her happiness, her virginity, her whole life was gone in one painful night.

Jenna, remembering she had a life, looked at her clock. She had twenty minutes before class. She decided to go early. Jenna entered the school and saw an extremely surprised Zach sitting in the hallway.

"You do know what time it is right?" Zach began to stand, but Jenna motioned him to stay and took a seat next to him. "Why are you here so early?"

Jenna shrugged "I woke up early." Jenna stared off into space. She knew Zach would notice it and lecture her. She was just trying to figure out the best way to explain herself.

Zach noticed her distance from the world.

"Everything okay?" Zach reached and put his arm around her.

Jenna lifted up her sleeve. She didn't even get to her most recent destruction and Zach jumped up off the floor.

"Jenna!" Jenna looked around to see if anyone noticed Zach's outburst.

They did.

"I've put up with this for too long Jenna! You won't tell me why you do it. For all I know you're just doing this for fun. It's sick and I'm done!" Zach grabbed his bag off the floor and walked off. Jenna rose up off the floor to watch him storm off. As Zach walked away Devin approached her without any idea of what had just happened.

"Hey Jenna, do you think I could have your number?" Jenna silently grabbed the pen out of his hand and wrote it quickly in the palm of it. She dropped the pen onto the floor and quickly made her exit through the front doors. Devin stood; extremely confused as he always seemed to be when this mystery girl left him. He called her number just so she would have it. She didn't answer, but he figured as much.

The day went on and Devin anticipated his lunch period assuming Jenna had returned from her departure that morning. Though he didn't see her in French class, he figured she must have come back. The time came for the fifth period lunch to rush into the cafeteria.

Entering the cafeteria always seemed chaotic, but once you got into a line everything revealed its order. The first left took you to the sandwiches, pizza, and pasta. The second line lead to burgers, chicken nuggets, and the best curly fries you could ever eat.

Devin entered and looked around. He didn't see her. He walked over to where he saw her seated the day before. He figured she was just running late so he waited. Ten minutes went by and still no sign of Jenna. People kept staring wondering why Devin Thomas was sitting all by himself, but weren't so curious as to approach him to find out.

He feared she was avoiding him; hence the spiraling of "what ifs" through his mind. He looked down at his hand and saw the fading numbers. He decided to call her. He went to the restroom, otherwise known as The Cell Booth to all students _and _teachers. He dialed her number and painfully awaited Jenna's answer.

"Hey, this is Jenna. I have no idea why you would want to call me, but I guess I'll find out after you leave a message."—

"Hey Jenna, its Devin, just wondering where you went this morning. Hope things are okay. Talk to you later, bye!"


	5. Chapter 5

Jenna finished adding Devin's number to her phone as she sat on an old, unused train bridge with her feet dangling over the edge. It covered a rushing river of ice-cold water. The river bounced around smoothed, slimy rocks. It never stopped. Though there were many rocks and other obstacles, the river always found a way around them. It kept going and never looked back. To Jenna's right was the forest. Massive pine trees stood tall and looked down upon her. The white, crusted snow weighed the weak branches down, and covered the trunk halfway from the bottom. Jenna saw a small Chickadee hop from one end of a branch to another and repeated that routine several times. The sun shone down so bright, the snow glittered and winked.

Jenna felt warm so she removed her sweatshirt and used it as a pillow to rest her troubled mind. A breeze blew over her body and gave her a perfect blend of warmth and coldness. She felt pure. She closed her eyes and drifted to sleep. She dreamt no nightmares. She wasn't bombarded by memories, or punished by her violation. She just slept and actually found rest.

Jenna awoke by one of her favorite songs. She pulled it out of her pocket and stared at the screen.

It was Devin.

In colorful neon letters it blinked DEVIN. Devin. Why Devin? Why now?

He was being so oddly nice to her and she just couldn't grasp it. It just didn't make sense. With Zach hating her, and Jenna hating herself, it seemed amazing that this guy who seemed to have everything put together so well would see something good in her. She felt the need to get away. Even away from everyone on some old abandoned train bridge she felt trapped.

She sighed and put the phone in her backpack. Devin could leave a message. Jenna sat looking through her bag. Years of collected, random things lay inside. Her journal seemed to stick out as if asking to be used. She pulled her journal out and began to look through her old poems and stories.

Inspiration overcame her, so she grabbed a pen and started writing. She wrote about how quickly the river flowed though everything around it was frozen. She wrote about how the trees stood superior to her, and yet they never judged her. After writing until her hand was cramped she placed her journal back inside her bag where something else caught her eye.

An old pocketknife lay in the bottom of her bag. She could remember the last time she had used it. She had used it during class in the bathroom. She must have forgotten to take it out.

It screamed until she took it out of the bag. She juggled it in her hand, thinking of what to do with it. She smiled and stood, looking for a good tree. She found one and made her way to it. She began to carve part of one of her favorite quotes, "Roses in December." It took a while, but she had the time.

It was around 1:00 in the afternoon and she started feeling her lack of breakfast. She picked up her things and made her way back to her car. Jenna turned and took a lasting look at her newly discovered abode. She got into her car and drove off while listening to Devin's message.

Jenna drove to a nearby fast food restaurant for a belated lunch and decided to call him back. It rang for a while and he eventually answered it.

"Hey!" Devin said.

"You called?" Jenna asked, not wanting to talk for long.

"Yeah, where did you go this morning?"

"Home."

"Well I have something to ask you, can I call you later?"

"Yeah, sure."

"Talk to you then."—

Jenna was curious of the question Devin was to ask, but more worried about what her mom would say when she found out Jenna hadn't been in school. This plan would have worked better if her mom hadn't taken the day off and wouldn't be home when Jenna walked through the door.

Jenna drove around town to kill some time, so she would get home at her usual time, and make her skipping not so obvious. She opened the door and the look she saw on her mother's face said it all.

"So you want to fill me in here? Did you make your own visit to the doctor today? Because you better be ill." Jenna shrugged and stood staring at her shoes. Bad move, "Do you have a fever? Have you been vomiting all day?" Jenna shook her head no. "Then help me understand why you skipped school today!" Jenna's mom stood with her hands on her hips, scowling, and shaking her head out of frustration and disbelief.

"I just needed a break." An honest answer.

"From what? You don't do a single thing around here! You don't clean the house. I never see you do homework. You're a lazy slob. If anyone deserves a break it should be me because I have to put up with you! You better start getting your act together." Her mom walked to her room sputtering even more about Jenna's lack of responsibility. Jenna didn't mention how she had gotten straight A's since 6th grade, or how she vacuumed every night, how she cleaned the dishes, dusted, and took out the trash, or how her mom was never home to see Jenna do it all, and too self-centered to realize it magically got done on its own. Jenna just walked upstairs to her room. Her mom was one of those people who liked the sound of her own voice. She would yell and scream but never allow anyone else to speak. Jenna was accustomed so she would always wait until it was over and quietly take her leave.

She settled down on her bed with her head resting on the corner of her pillow and her thoughts came buzzing. Devin had a question to ask her. What was it? What was he trying to do? Was his interest all just some big joke? Was she that much of a loser to get trapped in some practical joke? Would he honestly fall for her? Not if he knew.

Jenna's mind kept going while she drifted off to sleep, but once again her cell phone woke her.

"Hello?" Jenna's voice sounded low and raspy.

"Hey, were you sleeping?"

"Is this Devin?"

"Yeah, hey are you busy tonight?"

"No."

"Can I come pick you up? I want to take a walk in the park and could use some company."

"Sure." Jenna didn't even realize what she was saying. She gave Devin her address and went outside to wait for him. He arrived ten minutes later.

"Have you ever replayed a situation over and over again in your mind, each time changing one small detail to imagine the outcome if you had done something different?" Devin walked along side Jenna with his hands tucked in his pockets with his shoulders raised, eyes focused ahead of him.

"Yeah, actually, I do it all the time." Jenna looked at Devin's face. He was deep in thought, she could tell.

"It gets a little frustrating sometimes." His eyebrows furrowed. He pursed his lips before continuing. "I mean, you replay it so many times, each time making it better in your mind. But it does nothing. You're still stuck in that sucky situation you weren't smart enough to get yourself out of. That's frustrating. Really freakin frustrating."

Jenna couldn't help but think that Devin was letting her go someplace with him that he had never let anyone else explore. Devin was such a put together guy. What situations had he been in that he regretted so much? Listening to him seemed to help her forget her own problems though.

"Yeah, like no matter how much you try you're still trapped."

"Trapped! Yes Jenna! That's a perfect way to describe it. Trapped. Can't get out. Stuck." He had stopped walking and stood staring at Jenna's curious eyes as she tried to read him. "It sucks."

Devin and Jenna sat on a park bench after walking and talking for about 20 minutes. Devin reached over and put his arm around Jenna. Jenna was surprised that it didn't make her feel uncomfortable, but safe. Maybe it was his ability to open himself up to her that made her trust him. They sat for a while under the bright stars. Jenna felt like the park bench had magically traveled up into the sky and sat atop a cloud. The moon was so big and close and she felt like she could just reach out and grab a handful of stars and put them in her pocket to admire later. Devin then turned and looked into Jenna's eyes. Jenna could feel his eyes so she turned and looked back. Something in his eyes seemed familiar. Devin leaned forward to kiss her, but he created a mess. Jenna jumped up off the bench as a gut reaction. Devin jumped as well.

"Jenna, I'm so sorry." Devin cried, hoping he hadn't created an enemy.

"No, I'm sorry." Jenna stood with her head down while rubbing her arm.

Devin gave Jenna a hug. "I wouldn't want to rush you into anything, Jenna. Fact is I really like you. I guess I don't really know you, but I want to. Is that okay?"

Was it? "I like you too." Where did that come from?

"Good."

Was it?

Devin smiled and hugged Jenna once more.

Jenna smiled. She herself was very surprised by her response. But Jenna knew that her sense of security with Devin was a sign of something.

Devin stood outside the school waiting for Jenna. Jenna woke up early enough to meet him like she told him she would. She put effort into her appearance for the first time in a very long time. She didn't look amazing, but a slight piece of pretty was there somewhere. Her long sleeve shirt hugged her tightly, and there was no sweatshirt to cover it.

Devin seemed pleased as he saw her walking towards him. He reached for her hand and they walked into school together. People stared. Jaws dropped. Jealousy bloomed. Jenna hated it. She let go of Devin's hand and he knew exactly why.

"Who cares?" He put his arm around her shoulders and brought her close. She smiled, but she really just wanted people to stop looking at her. After trying so hard to blend in she was being put on some sort of pedestal. And not for any good reason, she thought.

The bell rang and the two went their separate ways. People still stared.

"OH MY GOD! Jenna! You and Devin "sexiest alive" Thomas? Every girl must hate your guts right now!" Samantha practically screamed from across the English room.

Jenna sat down to whisper. "It's not like we're together."

Samantha didn't get the whisper hint. "HA! Yeah right! Then what does holding hands mean Jenna? I do have brain! I'm not stupid."

"Well class is about to start. We can talk about this later." Jenna put her head into her book.

"Mhm. Sure. You are crazy. When did this new Jenna get here?" Samantha turned around and began paying attention as Mrs. Grammar Queen began lecturing about…grammar. Things were going to change. Jenna knew that for sure. But was she ready?

French came along and Jenna wasn't happy to see him. Devin would sit next to her and talk to her and pay attention to her. Everyone would stare and talk about it. She just knew it.

Jenna slowly walked into the classroom and took her usual seat close to the front. She didn't dare turn around. She didn't want to see him walk in. She heard more students walk in and eventually one of those students sat next to her. Devin.

"Crap. Did you do the homework?" He casually asked.

"Yeah. I'm guessing you didn't." Jenna replied.

"I was too busy thinking about you." Was that necessary?

"Oh." Jenna turned her head to face the black board and to signal the end of the conversation.

He chuckled, "They will get used to it, Jenna. Stop worrying about it."

How could he read her thoughts? He said himself he didn't know her. Not even Ethan could tell what she was thinking. Jenna turned to look at him.

"I was joking by the way. I didn't do my French homework because I was too lazy. But my history homework? Yeah, thinking about you definitely distracted me from that one." He winked and put his head down to his paper.

What was happening? What world did Jenna suddenly land in? One where boys, cute boys, wink at her? Insanity was surely around the corner. Things like that didn't happen.

Jenna went on with her day as usual, pretending not to see everyone whispering. She wondered how girls could enjoy that feeling. Some girls sought to make others jealous. It felt awful to Jenna. 'I'm not even worth being jealous over' she thought.

Devin waited outside at the end of the day. He stood by her car looking, well, adorable.

"Hey! Nice to see you again." Devin said while reaching for a hug.

Jenna looked around making sure not too many people saw before hugging him back. "Because I haven't seen you for you so long right? How long has it been? 30 minutes?"

"Hey, can we go for a walk? It's not too cold out and I'd like to talk with you." He reached for her hand and they began to walk to the park not too far off campus. They walked in circles telling stories and jokes and soaking in each other's presence.

"Sometimes I wish that we could hibernate. Just take a break from the world, get fat, and sleep." Devin chuckled. "I mean there is so much drama all the time it just gets so overwhelming. Like when my parents got divorced."

Jenna stared at him, scared of what he was about to open up to her about. She felt good knowing he could trust her, but wasn't sure if she was ready for it. She didn't want to disappoint him.

"My parents were happy. So freakin happy. We were like one of those happy perfect TV families, ya know? My mom would cook amazing meals and me and dad would talk about sports all the time. I did my homework and talked to my parents about any problems I had. You know, all that lame crap."

Jenna _didn't_ know all that lame crap.

"My dad would always look at my mom like he was seeing her and her pretty little smile for the first time. I know he loved her. I know it! You know you can just tell when it comes to real love. There is no hiding it. If you love someone, it's clear for everyone to see. I used to want what they had. I would always think about loving a girl that much. Caring for her when she was upset, making sure she felt special all the time. I don't know. I'm sure I sound lame."

"I don't think you sound lame. I think that's sweet."

"Well it stopped being so sweet. I woke up one morning and my mom and dad were sitting at the kitchen table staring off into space. Mom was in really dressy clothes and it seemed odd since it was so early. My dad held his coffee mug as tight as he could. Like if he held it any harder it would shatter. Just seeing them like that scared the heck out of me. I kept asking what was wrong, but they just sat there. Like freakin statues! Cold hard statues."

Jenna could tell he was getting upset about it, like it was happening right then and there.

"Jenna, you know what my mom did? She went out with one of my dad's friends. She freakin slept with my dad's best friend. She had being doing it with him for like 2 weeks or something. So much for true love, huh."

"I'm so sorry."

Devin shrugged, "Yeah well, I'm sorry for my dad. He's the one that lost everything. He went kinda crazy. So crazy that my mom made me move with her. I guess loving someone so much and then realizing it was all a lie can do that to a person. So I had to live with my slut of a mom. How sick is that? Bleh! I can't even think about it. That's so wrong."

"I guess it's like they say, it's better to have loved and lost then never to have loved at all. I mean my parents didn't even love each other when they got married. To me that's so pointless."

"Wow, that is odd. Why did they do that?"

Jenna emphatically pointed to herself and Devin got the point.

"Oh, that story. Well I'm sorry, that sucks."

"Not as much as your story. You kinda made me feel a lot better about my own parents." Jenna grinned to signal her sarcasm and Devin laughed.

"Jenna, you're so…"

Jenna waited, guessing the possibilities of what he was about to say.

"Awesome." Devin laughed, "That was lame. I don't know what you are, but it's good. Really good. Something about you keeps drawing me in. For lack of a more descriptive adjective we'll just go with awesome for now."

"Well thanks. Sounds like a good compliment to me." Jenna grinned holding in her amazement. That was a real genuine compliment. It wasn't "you're pretty" or "you're nice". He actually had no words to describe what she was to him. He did a great job at making her feel special.

The wind was nicely combined with the sun's beaming rays. It gave Jenna a peace of mind that melted all worries. Devin's voice soothed her. Every time a memory of Ethan was triggered Devin's tone pummeled the thought to the ground. Jenna was grateful. It helped her focus on Devin, who was becoming more and more intriguing.

Devin led Jenna to a park bench and they sat down on the ice-cold wood. "I kinda have a question for you Jenna." He took a deep, deep, deep breath and exhaled slowly. "We haven't known each other long, and I understand that. This whole thing is awkward for you, and I understand that too. But I absolutely love spending time with you. I mean we just walked and talked and I feel amazing! No one else has ever done that. Made me feel better by just…just…just standing there. Heh, you're so…ah, awesome and I want to know everything about you. You're so intriguing and everything. I can understand how this may sound odd, but, um, Jenna? Do you think you like me enough to date me? I mean, I really like you and I understand if-…"

"Yes. I'll go out with you." Jenna smiled. She herself was even surprised by her response.

"Really?" Jenna smiled as Devin took her hand. "Great."

Devin walked Jenna to her car and they stood in a not so awkward silence. He slowly reached for her hand and they met up perfectly. Jenna stood speechless at the amount of physical contact she was allowing. She couldn't help but think that she had just made the worst mistake of her life. She was just opening the way for another Ethan to walk into her life and, just as easily, walk back out. It was a fear that overwhelmed her, but Devin's voice, as he spoke his next words, took that fear away, "Would it be okay if I kiss you Jenna?"

She looked up at Devin's eyes. They didn't hold some malicious intention or impure motive. They were honest and trustworthy. She felt confident that if she said no he would be fine with it.

She nodded, but didn't smile. She was a little too nervous to make any movement.

It was just a gentle brush of the lips, nothing too serious or too far. Jenna wished it had been her first kiss, because it would have been the best first kiss ever. It was so simple, yet it sent shivers up her spine.

Ethan who?


	6. Chapter 6

Jenna spent half of the evening apologizing to Zach about what had happened in the hallway.

She regretted everything. She told him she needed his help to get through it. He was hesitant; because this was the third time he had heard the story.

"I just hate seeing you hurt yourself Jenna. You know I care. Can't you just stop? For me? If not for anyone else, do it for your best friend."

"I want to Zach. It just gets so hard sometimes. I feel so…trapped. I don't know what to do sometimes. But I need to know you are going to be there when I need you Zach. I don't wanna be scared to call you when I'm on the edge."

"Don't you ever be too scared to call me Jenna. I'll be there."

Jenna invited Zach over for a night of popcorn, soda, and a movie so she could spill her news.

~!~!~!~!#~#~#~#~#~!~!~!~!~!~~!~!~#~#~#~#~#~#~!~!~!~!~!~#~#~#~#~#~#~!~!~!~!~

"You're together? Like together together?" Zach stood with wide eyes as Jenna spilled about Devin.

"Yeah. This is weird isn't it?" Jenna sat on her bed, knees pulled to her chest.

"Honestly Jenna I'm so happy for you. After Ethan split I was worried. I'm glad you have someone now. Even though it's not me." He grinned.

Jenna smiled, "Sorry about that Zach."

"I see how it is. Why fall for the nerdy best friend? I get it. I'll just sit here waiting for you to realize what you're missing."

Jenna pushed him playfully and they both started laughing.

"But seriously Jenna, I'm happy for you. Devin is a cool guy. I approve." Zach grinned and gave her a hug. He could tell she was kind of unsure of the situation and wanted to ease her mind.

Jenna sat there with a want to tell Zach how she really felt about Devin, but it was hard to do if she planned on keeping her memories of Ethan far from her lips. She wanted to tell him how scared she was of falling in love, how she didn't want to get her hopes up too high just to be let down again. She couldn't mention any of that, however, because the reasons she felt this way were all because of Ethan. Jenna wasn't ready to spill her guts just yet.

They sat on the couch watching their movie, tucked underneath a blanket.

Zach managed to scoot closer and closer to Jenna through out the movie. Jenna didn't notice of course until she realized he was dozing off onto her shoulder. She rested her head on his and felt so thankful she had him. How could she even think of hurting Zach by cutting herself? It was so selfish. She vowed to actually try.

Zach woke up at around 11pm and left Jenna sleeping on the couch.

He left in his mom's car as Jenna's mom was pulling up into the driveway.

Jenna sat at the kitchen table. She was up way too early, but just gave up trying to go back to sleep. She cradled a cup of hot coffee in her hands while she tried to string thoughts together in her mind.

Zach had just put a heck of a lot of trust and responsibility on her shoulders. She became terrified of letting him down. She knew she could very easily say she wouldn't cut. But when she wasn't thinking it could very easily just happen all on its own. She needed to figure out a way to actually control it.

Devin was going to be waiting for her by the doors at school that morning. He was a big step towards regaining a semi-normal life. Jenna hoped it would run smoothly. She wanted to be a good friend to him. He seemed like a normal down to earth person which surprised Jenna. She expected him to be some self-centered loser who just thought she was cute. She expected another Ethan. Devin was far from being an Ethan. He saw something in her that Ethan never did. It made Jenna glow from the inside out. She had a feeling that Devin would be a great thing for her.

"Jenna, what are you doing up? Did you finish the laundry yesterday?" Jenna's mom walked in, disturbing Jenna's thought process.

"What?"

"Don't you 'what' me! Did you or did you not do the laundry like you were supposed to?" Her mom stood in her dingy bathrobe looking like she was about to cross the line into white trash territory.

"Yes mom, I finished the laundry."

"Good. I'm going back to sleep. You should get a start on those dishes." She walked back into her room oblivious to the lack of dirty dishes anywhere in the kitchen. Jenna had already done them all when she had gotten up.

"I'll get right on that mom" Jenna muttered under her breath. Her mom just never seemed to get it.

Jenna sipped at her coffee once more and the phone rang. She heard a grumpy "You get it!" from her mom's room, so she got up and answered the phone.

"Hello?"

"Jenny!"

Only one person called her that.

"Dad!"

"How's is going sweetheart?"

Jenna stood thinking of a good response to that question. Jenna's dad lived in England. Her parents weren't divorced, but separated. Neither of them had the time to file for it, nor did they have the time to date, so being separated was perfect for them. Some days she wished that her dad would come home, but her mom's screaming was loud enough without him.

With him being so far away it was easy to just say everything was fine.

"Everything is good Dad. Um, I might have a boyfriend actually!"

"Really Jenny? That sounds great! What's his name?"

"Devin. He's pretty nice."

"Well that's good. I'm glad you're doing well."

She could hear the British taint in his voice.

"Are you alright dad? How is work?"

"Work is busy. Speaking of work I really must be going. Please keep me updated on the boyfriend. I love you sweetie. Be good."

"I love you too. Bye"

Jenna looked at the clock above the phone on the wall. She had a good 40 minutes before school. She decided to put some real effort into her appearance. Her dad's I Love You helped her want to try.

She walked into school wearing a tight fitting purple long sleeve top with snug black jeans. Her regular canvas sneakers weren't anything special, but today they looked good with everything else. She wore her hair down, tousled a bit. Her makeup added perfection to her already flawless skin. Her eye shadow just lightly dusted with just a little liner and mascara made her look amazing.

Devin noticed.

"Jenna, you…look…great!"

"Really?" Jenna hunched over and crossed her arms.

"Yes. Just when I thought you couldn't get more beautiful! May I walk you to your first class, beautiful girlfriend of mine?" Devin reached out his hand.

"Yes, you may." Jenna smiled. Really smiled. She took Devin's hand and he walked her to class. It seemed silly, but perfect all at the same time.

Lunch time came and Devin met Jenna outside the cafeteria. She was worried he would. She still didn't want to make some sort of spectacle of the two of them being together. She smiled at him nonetheless. He was her boyfriend after all.

While Devin and Jenna sat at the table one of Devin's friends came over to join them.

"Devin! I'm afraid I'm not acquainted with your new woman yet!" He quickly slid into the chair in front of them.

"Well Charles, I don't know if you can call her my woman. You can call her my Jenna though, if you'd like." Jenna grinned as Devin nudged her.

"It's nice to meet you Devin's Jenna. I'm my own Charles. If you're close enough to Devin, you can call me Chuck if you want."

Jenna, feeling confident that she very well was close enough to Devin, spoke genuinely, "It's nice to meet you Chuck."

"It's been quite the pleasure; I'm off to my own lady friend. I'll see you two later!" Chuck quickly got up and left to go invade another lunch table. Devin looked into Jenna's eyes and smiled. She leaned forward and kissed him. His eyes opened wide; surprised she made the move he was about to make. Jenna looked up at him and hugged him. She felt so elated that nothing could bring her down.

"Hey Jenna"

"Yeah?"

"Are you free this weekend?"

"I'm free every weekend." She said pathetically.

Devin chuckled, "Okay good. I was hoping you could come over to my house. My step brother is coming into town and we're going to have a nice family dinner."

"You have a step brother?"

"Yeah, my mom married a guy with a kid. He's like 20 or 21 I think now."

"Cool, I would love to go."

"Great." Devin smiled and kissed her.

"Thomas! No PDA!" Mr. Coldstone, the law enforcer caught him and gave him the eye.

Devin turned to Jenna and grinned, "Yes sir."


End file.
